Top Places To Eat In Belfast

Belfast is a very interesting city. Located in Antrim in Northern Ireland, it is the best city for shopping, food and drink.

I usually always frequent Belfast for work more than pleasure. Having only visited it once on my own terms and several for work it has kind of tainted the city for me slightly as I now associate it with that. But, luckily for me, it is the one place I get to experience the fun side of my job as well. I work in a Catering Supplies company meaning we deal with a lot of restaurants, bars, cafés, etc. Anytime we are up in Belfast for long periods of time we get the pleasure of trying out a place of our customers and they are usually really really nice places. So while I’m not one who generally focuses on the food side of things in a city I have come to know this side of Belfast pretty well! Here are my top five picks for places to eat in Belfast:

Howard Street

A post shared by HowardStBelfast (@howardstbelfast) on Sep 7, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

Howard St describes themselves on Instagram as ‘Delivering the best of local Irish produce with an Asian twist. Organic herbs and vegetables from Helen’s bay to fresh farmed duck from Co. Cork.’

Style: Smart Casual

Price Point: €€€

Why I Liked It: This place is upmarket, quiet, and mind-blowing! If you are looking for a really amazing meal I would recommend visiting Howard St. Not only is their food amazing, but their presentation doesn’t miss a trick either.

Find out more about them and view their menu by visiting their website here.

The best way to describe Buba is a Mediterranean Tapas restaurant, I think!

Style: Casual/Pre-night out (great cocktails!)

Price Point: €€

Why I Liked It: The variety on their menu is like something I have never seen before, and the flavours of their food is just wow. They have a separate menu for Vegans and Vegetarians as well which is great. I found the staff to be really, really helpful, the cocktails were to die for and the Tapas food vibe created a great atmosphere at the table. Overall, it’s a great restaurant and offers something out of the ordinary yet delicious.

Brush up on what you want to order in advance by visiting their website here

Sweet Aften

Sweet Aften is a really casual bar that serves amazing pub food. We actually stumbled upon by accident, but were pleasantly surprised!

Style: Casual

Price Point: €€

Why I Liked It: We had viewed the menus of a few places close by and were shocked at the prices. Sweet Aften had a low light, casual vibe from the outside and a cheap menu so we said we would give it a go and it definitely did not disappoint! The food in this place is so tasty, the portions are perfect and the atmosphere is really nice. We went on a Monday night so it wasn’t hectic, but I can only imagine this place is buzzing at the weekend for both food and drink!

Yugo

A post shared by an asian idea (@yugo_belfast) on Mar 20, 2018 at 12:10pm PDT

I’m going to just go right out there and say that I think this is my favourite place on the list! This Asian restaurant goes above and beyond to deliver an insanely tasty menu that is unique, and authentic.

Style: Really casual

Price Point: €€ (unless you lose the run of yourself ordering boa buns, then add an extra ‘€’!)

Why I Liked It: The vibe is really casual but the interiors and presentation are anything but. Their menu is small but very authentic – you won’t find your standard Pad Thai or Crispy Chilli Chicken in here! I got their ‘Jungle Curry’ which is very Ramen-esque. I’ve never had anything like it before and I doubt I will stumble upon something as great again. Honestly, their food just does all the talking for them. It’s a really small venue so I would definitely book in advance if you are going.

My first experience of great food in Belfast and still the place I recommend the most! This restaurant serves beautiful food and mouth watering cocktails and craft beers to match!

Style: Stylish, Smart.

Price Point: €€€

Why I Liked It: What isn’t to like about this place? The décor is classic and the restaurant has quite an intimate feel to it. Their food is some of the best food I’ve ever tasted – it’s just one of my favourite restaurants in general, not just Belfast! Everything they cook seems to melt in your mouth and burst with flavours. On top of the amazing food (and amazing drinks) I think their staff and service is impeccable! If you are looking for a nice restaurant in Belfast, I would highly recommend booking in here.

And those are my top picks for dining in Belfast! I think there is something to suit everyone on that list. I did contemplate putting in The Dirty Onion/Yardbird in – which is basically like Nandos but much less commercial, but one of my friends from work had two bad experiences there in a row. If chicken is your thing, it might be worth a try but just don’t say I didn’t warn you! The Dirty Onion which is the pub side of things is still meant to be great though.

Have you ever been to Belfast, or did you find it good for food? Where is your favourite city for dining? Let me know 🙂